Western Sydney Wanderers strengthened their claim for a spot in the Liberty A-League Finals Series with a comprehensive 4-1 win over Canberra United at Wanderers Football Park on Wednesday night.
Western Sydney were without Sophie Harding for Wednesday night’s game, who was pictured on the Paramount+ broadcast pre-game with her right ankle heavily strapped.
These two sides met just four days ago in Round 19 when Harding picked up the ankle injury, but after sealing a late point against Canberra in Saturday’s 1-1 draw, the Wanderers blew their Wednesday-night opponents out of the water without their star striker despite Michelle Heyman scoring inside the opening minute of play.
The Wanderers responded with three quick-fire goals to go 3-1 clear after 24 minutes, with Holly Caspers, Ella Buchanan and Madison McComasky all finding the back of the net. Caspers secured her brace just 15 seconds into the second half as the home side cruised to the final whistle and all three points.
The result pulls sends Western Sydney back into the top six at the expense of Newcastle Jets; the Wanderers are now three points clear of the chasing pack with the Jets and Perth Glory both within a win of Robbie Hooker’s side, and both Wellington Phoenix and Brisbane Roar still with a chance of stealing sixth spot by the end of the season.
Any fans arriving late through the gates at Wanderers Football Park might have missed the first two goals of the game, with both sides striking within the first four minutes of action.
Heyman put Canberra ahead with just 52 seconds on the clock, meeting Nickoletta Flannery’s delivery and striking first-time on goal; the ball hit the heel of Wanderers defender Danika Matos and lobbed goalkeeper Sham Khamis.
Canberra’s lead lasted less than three minutes as Caspers headed Talia Younis’ corner delivery over the line, with Canberra fullback Emma Ilijoski only able to help the ball on its way with a header on the goal line.
Caspers turned provider in the 13th minute to put the hosts in front, benefiting off a loose Canberra touch in the box to find Buchanan all alone at the back post for a simple tap-in and her first Liberty A-League goal.
Things went from bad to worse for Canberra 10 minutes later when McComasky rose to meet a pinpoint cross from Cushla Rue to head Western Sydney’s third of the first half into the back of the net.
The early first-half action subsided after an early flurry but Rue did threaten to make it 4-just before the break, firing just over the bar from the edge of the area.
Canberra kicked off the second half but just 15 seconds after the whistle resumed proceedings at Wanderers Football Park, the home side had the ball in the back of the net for a fourth time.
Caspers converted her brace with a cool finish in a one-on-one with Khamis after the Wanderers intercepted a long ball from Canberra, leading Maliah Morris to float a lofted through ball right over the defensive line into Caspers’ path.
Ruby Nathan was summoned from the Canberra bench at half-time and her 67th-minute attempt might have brought her side back to within two if not for a desperate block at the back post from Matos.
The Wanderers almost made it five after an exquisite piece of link-up play from Caspers, who took possession on the turn and fed a pinpoint pass out wide to set Matos free down the line. Her cross just evaded the head of Morris as Ilijoski conceded a corner.
As the Wanderers cruised toward the final whistle with their three-goal lead intact, Matos almost made it 5-1 with a bombing run down the right flank, angling a shot toward the bottom-left corner and only just missing the target.
Matildas boss in the house for Wanderers forward’s masterclass
With two goals and one assist, Holly Caspers stole the show at Wanderers Football Park on Wednesday night.
Caspers had scored just three goals this season prior to the midweek clash with Canberra but with Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson watching on from the stands, the 24-year-old put on a performance to remember that has only added to her impressive body of work in 2023-24.
Caspers shouldered the attacking burden in the absence of Sophie Harding who, after an awkward fall in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Canberra, played through to the final whistle but couldn’t back up in time for Wednesday’s meeting with the same opponent.
Harding was pictured pre-game with her lower right leg heavily strapped but was jogging about collecting balls in the warmup in a promising sign for the Wanderers, who have reclaimed a spot in the top six and will need Harding’s goals in the final stages of the regular season to continue their push for a Finals Series appearance.
Harding was alongside Gustavsson at Wanderers Football Park as her side dealt Canberra a 4-1 defeat and while Caspers shone, taking her goal tally to five for the season and extending her lead as the league’s leading assist-maker with her seventh of the campaign, recently recalled Matildas striker Michelle Heyman also caught the eye with an early goal for Canberra.
Caspers has been a consistent performer for Western Sydney this season, and if Gustavsson arrived in Western Sydney hoping to be impressed by A-Leagues stars pushing their international case, it would have been tough to ignore Caspers’ impressive showing in Wednesday’s win.
